"-What do you wanna be when you grow up then?" the grand-mother asks the grand-child.
"-I wanna be a ballerina, Nanna" answers the grand daughter.
"-So, you gonna follow in your dad's footsteps and sell insurance?" the uncle asks his nephew.
"-Nah", answers the nephew, "I'm gonna be a rock musician".
"-What are your plans for the future now that you have finished college?" the aunt asks her niece.
"I am going to travel Auntie, and then write down my experiences in a diary. I want to go where Hemingway went, have coffee in a bistro at Montmartre, feed the doves in the San Marco piazza in Venice, I want to experience it all. I want to be a writer," the niece explains.
What about those who say they want to be painters, sculptors, designers, computer game makers, architects, etc.etc. ?
More often than not it seems, these professions are often dismissed as "indulgences" and not "real" professions.
So what is an indulgence? According to Collins Thesaurus: treat, extravagance, privilege, favour.
After a thorough investigation of the word, it appears to me that it has undertones of moral impropriety, especially so if the word "self" is attached, as in "self-indulgent".
I asked a friend to come and paint(paintings) with me one afternoon, and was given the answer that "to paint is indulgent". Perplexed I asked: "Indulgent? How is it indulgent?"
"Because there are more important and "real" things one could do," was the answer, "you know, being useful".
(Useful=the quality of being of practical use) Is usefulness more important than beauty, ornamentation, imagination, intuition, etc.etc.? Is it not possible that there is usefulness in being able to outwardly express an inner experience? "Perhaps, but how can that be applied practically?" you may ask. Allow me to make a few suggestions:
Speaking with people who enjoy heavy metal(music) I found a general consensus suggesting that attending a live concert aided in the release of frustrations and emotions, but also in feeling re-energised.
Speaking with people who enjoy visiting galleries, I found a general consensus suggesting that viewing works of art was stimulating, probing, confounding, and re-energising by engaging the emotions pertaining to beauty, amazement and wonder.
There are people who will attest to their lives changing due to having read a specific book, viewed a specific movie, documentary, walked the Via Dolorosa, stood in the Grand Canyon, sat in the pews of the Sistine Chapel, touched the wall of fallen soldiers, walked the Chinese wall, listend to the Tibetan Monks chant, etc.etc.
Is there any moral impropriety in a person seeking to understand or be understood, in expressing externally what goes on internally?
Should we really choose between being practical/useful OR indulgent, is it not possible to enjoy both states?
Is it useful to label creative/artistic professions as "indulgent", is it not possible to appreciate all types of professions equally?
When I was working as a professional musician, I used to go to work when people who had "real" jobs had clocked off for the day. My job basically started when others had finished theirs and were relaxing with a chilled drink and conversation with friends. To become a professional musician, takes hours and hours on end of hard work, of rehearsals, of carrying heavy equipment through throngs of inebriated people, of driving all hours, sometimes for hours on end, it's a very "real" job indeed.
Not much indulgence involved I can assure you...:)
If a nurse enjoys her work, is it an indulgence? If an accountant loves his job, is it an indulgence?
If the pizza maker whistles while he makes the pizzas because he likes his job, is he indulgent?
If the janitor jumps out of bed in the morning because he looks forward to doing his job, is he being indulgent?
If doing what you do for a living brings you joy and satisfaction, are you indulgent?
Do we equate "real" jobs with doing something for a living we don't enjoy doing?
Some surveys suggest that a "real" job is synonymous with a stable income, and if that is the case, then what we do is inconsequential. It is no more indulgent to earn an income from playing the violin, painting pictures, designing computer games, writing books, etc.etc. than building houses, reading spreadsheets, digging ditches, driving trucks, being a lawyer, dentist, doctor, etc.etc.
The fact that mankind is so diverse, is that not a strength?
Isn't it wonderful that there are people who can write music, poetry, lyrics, that speak straight to the heart, just like there are doctors who can heal hearts not functioning properly?
Isn't it amazing that there are people who can make sculptures, installations, figurines, that entice our imagination just like there are builders who make constructions of many varieties to be utilised for a myriad of functions?
Isn't it brilliant that there are people who can write stories that take us to foreign and fantastical destinations just like there are writers who compose manuals, instructions, dictionaries, and spreadsheets?
Today's indulgence may very well be tomorrow's reality.
“In my own philanthropy and business endeavors, I have seen the critical role that the arts play in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities….the arts have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement in our country.”
–Paul G. Allen, Co-Founder, Microsoft
"The rapidly evolving global economy demands a dynamic and creative workforce. The arts and its related businesses are responsible for billions of dollars in cultural exports for this country. It is imperative that we continue to support the arts and arts education both on the national and local levels. The strength of every democracy is measured by its commitment to the arts.”
–Charles Segars, CEO of Ovation
–Charles Segars, CEO of Ovation
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